Carl Crawford resurfaces in Red Sox lineup, but so do more questions

Associated PressBoston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford says he will eventually need elbow surgery, but manager Bobby Valentine says that's not a given, as far as he knows.

NEW YORK - When the weekend series against New York opened at Yankee Stadium, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was peppered with questions about Ichiro Suzuki, a player on the other team.

As the series wrapped up Sunday, Valentine would have probably preferred that line of interrogation as opposed to the latest round of discussion about the way Carl Crawford is being handled.

The latest chapter is a saga of conflicting stories came when Valentine said he was not of the belief that Crawford is destined for Tommy John elbow surgery. Crawford has said candidly that surgery is not so much a matter of if, but when.

"I've heard what Carl said, but I've never been told that he needs an operation,'' Valentine said. "I don't think that's a definitive situation.''

In this ongoing tale of disconnected parties, what is?

Crawford has not been evasive about the inevitability of a visit to the surgeon.

"The later I wait to get it done, the more time I'm going to miss,'' Crawford said Saturday, before sitting out the game against his wishes as part of the club's program of not playing him more than four games in a row.

"I definitely know, at some point in my career, I can't keep playing with this ligament in my elbow like that.''

One school of thought says the Red Sox should shut Crawford down now, call this a lost season and get the surgery done in time for a fresh start in 2013.

That is not what Crawford wants. He wants badly to make amends for his poor 2011 season as soon as possible.

Besides, he thinks the Red Sox are still a viable playoff contender. He wants to help.

Valentine did not favor the four-day program at first, and in fact, ignored it when Crawford first came back. He said he won't do that again.

He also said he better understands why the front office and medical staff are insisting on it.

"If (the elbow) bothers him, you don't want it to get to the point where it's intolerable,'' Valentine said. "We're hoping it's going to hurt less and bother him less and get better.

"That's why we have a prescribed program.''

Crawford was irked at not playing Saturday against CC Sabathia, the Yankees' ace. Defying the lefty-lefty matchup, the Red Sox outfielder has hit .319 against Sabathia in his career.

Crawford also hit his first home run Friday. He wanted to build on that momentum, rather than having it appear he was hiding from Sabathia - a perception he called "embarrassing.''

Valentine said he spoke with Crawford to clear up any unease.

"I said, hey, if I do anything to confuse you or make you anything more than as comfortable as possible, you've just got to let me know,'' Valentine said. "I guess when everyone (in media) came to him at his locker, he got uncomfortable.''

Whether that eliminates the confusion remains to be seen. What makes this situation more interesting, and in some ways more bizarre, is that Crawford is one of the few Red Sox players whose line of communication with the manager has been considered good.

Initially unsure of how well he would click with Valentine, Crawford has said he understands his situation better this year. At a time Valentine's ability to work within an organization is again being questioned, Crawford has been considered an example that he can - at least until now.

It does not help that Crawford disagrees with the four-day program even less than his manager says he does, and sounds as if it were sprung on him without much explanation.